The Nāṣirī Generations 192: I. SULTAN-UL-MU’AZZAM, SHAMS-UD-DUNYA WA UD-DIN, ABU-L-MUZAFFAR, I-YAL-TIMISH THE SULTAN.
Tabakat-i-Nasiri 192
- Language
- English
Contents
I. SULTAN-UL-MU’AZZAM, SHAMS-UD-DUNYA WA UD-DIN, ABU-L-MUZAFFAR, I-YAL-TIMISH THE SULTAN.
192.1.1
Since the Most High and Holy God, from all eternity, had predestined that the states of Hindustan should come under the shadow of the guardianship of the great Sultan, the supreme monarch, Shams-ud-Dunya wa ud-Din, the shadow of God in the worlds, Abu-l-Muzaffar, I-yal-timish, the Sultan, the right arm of the Vicegerent of God, the aider of the Lord of the Faithful — God illumine his convictions and weight the balance with the effects of his equity and beneficence, and preserve the dynasty of his descendants, on whom, of those who have passed away, be peace ! and may the Nasiriah Mahmudiah sovereignty perpetually continue in security and safety from the troubles of the end of time, and from the accidents and vicissitudes of the world ! — that just and munificent Sultan, upright, beneficent, a zealous and steadfast warrior against infidels, the patronizer of the learned, the dispenser of justice, in pomp like Faridun, in disposition like Kubad, in fame like Ka-us, in empire like Sikandar, and in majesty like Bahram, was, Yusuf like, from out of the Ilbari [or Albari] tribes of Turkistan, delivered over to merchants, until, from one degree to another, he was raised to the throne of empire and seat of dominion, so that the back of the Muhammadan religion, through his sovereignty, waxed strong, and the development of the Ahmadi faith, through his valour, acquired pre-eminence. In intrepidity he turned out another impetuous ’Ali, and, in liberality, a second Hatim-i-Ta-i.
192.1.2
Although the beneficent Sultan, Kutb-ud-Din — on whom be peace! displayed to the world the bestowal of hundreds of thousands, the august and beneficent Sultan, Shams-ud-Dunya wa ud-Din — may he rest in peace! — in place of every hundred thousand of his, used to bestow a hundred [times a] hundred thousand, both in capacity and in computation, as, both in this world and in the next, may be accounted [in his favour]. Towards men of various sorts and degrees, Kazis, Imams, Muftis, and the like, and to darweshes and monks, landowners and farmers, traders, strangers and travellers from great cities, his benefactions were universal. From the very outset of his reign, and the dawn of the morning of his sovereignty, in the congregating of eminent doctors of religion and law, venerable Sayyids, Maliks, Amirs, Sadrs, and [other] great men, the Sultan used, yearly, to expend about ten millions; and people from various parts of the world he gathered together at the capital city of Dihli which is the seat of government of Hindustan, and the centre of the circle of Islam, the sanctuary of the mandates and inhibitions of the law, the kernel of the Muhammadi religion, the marrow of the Ahmadi belief, and the tabernacle of the eastern parts of the universe — Guard it, O God, from calamities, and molestation!
192.1.3
This city, through the number of the grants, and unbounded munificence of that pious monarch, became the retreat and resting-place for the learned, the virtuous, and the excellent of the various parts of the world; and those who, by the mercy of God, the most High, escaped from the toils of the calamities sustained by the provinces and cities of ’Ajam, and the misfortunes caused by the [irruption of the] infidel Mughals, made the capital — the asylum of the universe — of that sovereign their asylum, refuge, resting-place, and point of safety; and, up to the present day, those same rules are observed and remain unchanged, and such may they ever continue! From a number of credible persons it has been heard narrated after this manner, that, when the beneficent Sultan, Shams-ud-Din, was young in years, and was called, by command of the Most High, from the territory of Turkistan and the families of the Ilbari [tribe] to the empire of Islam and dominion of Hindustan, it so happened that his father, who was named I-lam Khan, had numerous kindred, relations, dependents, and followers; and [that] this [future] sovereign, from his earliest years, was endowed with comeliness, intelligence, and goodness of disposition to a great degree, so much so that his brothers began to grow envious of these endowments. They therefore brought him away from his mother and father under the pretence that he should get sight of a herd of horses.
192.1.4
Like as in the case of Yusuf, they said, ‘Why, O father, dost thou not intrust Yusuf to us, seeing that we are true friends of his ? Send him along with us to-morrow into the pastures that he may divert himself, and we will be his protectors’;’ and, when they brought him where the herds of horses were, they sold him to certain merchants ; and some say that his uncle’s sons were among the party that sold him. The merchants brought him towards Bukhara, and sold him to one of the kinsmen of the Sadr-i-Jahan [the chief ecclesiastic] of Bukhara, and, for some time, in that family of eminence and sanctity, he remained. The most beneficent of that family used to nourish him in the hall of his kindness, like his own children in infancy.
192.1.5
One of the trustworthy has related, saying: “‘I heard from the blessed lips of that monarch himself, who said, “ On a certain occasion, one of the [above-mentioned] family gave me a small piece of money, saying : ‘ Go into the market and buy some grapes and bring them.’ When I set out for the market, I lost by the way that bit of money ; and through my youthful age, out of fear at what had happened, I fell a crying. Whilst thus lamenting, I was joined by a good Darwesh who took me by the hand, and purchased for me some grapes which he gave me ; and he made me promise [saying]: ‘When thou attainest unto power and dominion thou wilt ever regard devotees and ascetics with reverence, and watch over their weal.’ I gave him my promise ; and all the prosperity and blessings, which I acquired, I acquired through the compassionate regard of that Darwesh.’ ” The probability is that never was a sovereign of such exemplary faith, and of such kind-heartedness and reverence towards recluses, devotees, divines, and doctors of religion and law, from the mother of creation ever enwrapped in the swaddling bands of dominion.
192.1.6
From that priestly and saintly family a merchant, whom they used to call the Bukhara Haji, purchased Shams-ud-Din. Subsequently, another merchant, whom they were wont to style Jamal-ud-Din, Muhammad, of the Tight Tunic, purchased him of the Bukhara Haji, and brought him to the city of Ghaznin. At that period, no Turk superior to him in comeliness, commendable qualities, agreeable manners, and of such indications of intelligence and sagacity, had they brought to that capital. He was mentioned in terms of commendation to the Sultan-i-Ghazi, Mu'izz-ud-Din, Muhammad, son of Sam, and command was given [by the Sultan] that they should name his price. He, along with another Turk, was in one team, and the latter Turk they were in the habit of calling I-bak. The sum of a thousand dinars of pure Rukni gold was specified for the two. The Khwajah [merchant or master], Jamal-ud-Din, Muhammad, of the Tight Tunic, declined selling him [Shams-ud-Din] for that amount; and the Sultan commanded that no one should purchase him, and that [the sale] should be prohibited.
192.1.7
The Khwajah, Jamal-ud-Din, Muhammad, after that he had stayed at Ghaznin a year, determined to proceed to Bukhara, and he took Shams-ud-Din along with him thither, and, for another three years, he remained in Bukhara. After that he was brought to Ghaznin a second time, and continued there for the period of another year, because it was not permitted that any one should purchase him, until Sultan Kutb-ud-Din, I-bak, after the holy war of Nahrwalah and the conquest of Gujarat, along with Malik Nasir-ud-Din, Husain-i-Khar-Mil proceeded to Ghaznin, and heard his story. Kutb-ud-Din solicited permission from Sultan Mu'izz-ud-Din, Muhammad, to purchase him. The Sultan replied: "Since a command has been issued that he should not be purchased at Ghaznin, let them take him to the city of Dihli and there he can be purchased." Kutb-ud-Din gave directions to Nizam-ud-Din, Muhammad, to remain behind at Ghaznin, for the purpose of transacting some affairs of his, and, after his own determination of returning to Hindustan, requested him, on his return, to bring along with him to Dihli, Jamal-ud-Din of the Tight Tunic, in order that the purchase of Shams-ud-Din might be there effected. According to Kutb-ud-Din's command, Nizam-ud-Din, Muhammad, on his return, brought them [the two slaves] along with him to the capital, Dihli;
192.1.8
and Malik Kutb-ud-Din purchased both slaves, and another writer says "the brokers fixed the price of the two as our author states." the Turks for the sum of a hundred thousand jitals. The other Turk, named I-bak, received the name of Tam-ghaj, and was made Amir of Tabarhindah; and, subsequently, in the engagement which took place between Sultan Taj-ud-Din, Yal-duz, and that beneficent of his time — Sultan Kutb-ud-Din, I-bak, he was killed. Shams-ud-Din, I-yal-timish, was made Sar-i-Jan-dar [chief of the Jan-dars or Guards] to Kutb-ud-Din, who styled him son, and retained him near himself, and he continued to rise in office and in dignity daily; and Kutb-ud-Din, discerning within him proofs of rectitude and integrity, both in movement and at rest, outwardly as well as inwardly, by the light thereof, advanced him from one position to another until he raised him to the office of Amir-i-Shikar [Chief- Huntsman]. Subsequently, when Gwaliyur was taken he became Amir of Gwaliyur; and, after that, he acquired the fief of the town of Baran and its dependencies. Some time after this, as proofs of tact, energy, valour, and high-mindedness were unmistakeably displayed by him, and the beneficent Sultan, Kutb-ud-Din, I-bak, noticed and marked all these [accomplishments] in him, he conferred upon Shams-ud-Din the fief of the territory of Buda’un.
192.2.1
When the Sultan-i-Ghazi, Mu’izz-ud-Din, Muhammad, son of Sam, returned from his campaign against Khwarazm, and when, in the engagement at And-khud, a reverse befell the troops of Khita and the Khokhar tribes had begun to rebel and manifest contumacy, he moved from Ghaznin for the purpose of making war on that unbelieving people. Malik Kutb-ud-Din, I-bak, in conformity with the Sultan’s orders, led the [available] forces of Hindustan to the scene of action; and Shams-ud-Din, with the contingent troops of Buda’un, accompanied him. During the engagement [which ensued], in the height of the conflict, Shams-ud-Din, in all his panoply, rode right into the water of the river Jilam [Jhilam] in which those active rascals had made their place of shelter, and displayed great valour, and by the wounds inflicted by [his men’s] arrows discomfited them; and his warlike feats, whilst in that water, reached such a pitch, that he was despatching those infidels from the height of the waters to the lowest depths of Hell: — “They were drowned, and cast into the fire [of hell]
192.2.2
During that feat of agility and gallant exploit, the eye of the Sultan-i-Ghazi, Mu’izz-ud-Din, Muhammad, son of Sam, fell on these proofs of boldness and valour, and he directed inquiry to be made respecting his quality. When the royal mind became enlightened on the subject of who he was, he sent for Shams-ud-Din, and distinguished him by conferring a special dress of honour upon him ; and commanded Malik Kutb-ud-Din, I-bak, saying: “Treat I-yal-timish well, for he will distinguish himself.” The Sultan further directed that they should draw up the deed of his freedom, and regarded him with his royal countenance, and conferred upon him the felicity of the free.
192.2.3
When Sultan Kutb-ud-Din, I-bak, died at Lohor, the Sipah-Salar [Commander of Troops] ’Ali-i-Isma’il, who was the Amir-i-Dad [Lord Justice] of the capital city, Dihli, in concert with other Amirs and high officials, wrote letters to Shams-ud-Din, I-yal-timish, at Buda’un, and besought him [to come thither and assume authority]. Having come, he ascended the throne of the kingdom of Dihli in the year 607 H., and took possession of it. As the Turks and Kutbi Amirs from different parts had gathered together before Dihli, and some of the Turks and Mu'izzi Amirs had also united with them, and were intent upon resistance [to this usurpation of authority on the part of I-yal-timish], they left Dihli, and came out, and they [all] combined in the immediate neighbourhood, and broke out into sedition and rebellion! The august Sultan, Shams-ud-Din, with the cavalry of the centre [contingents forming the centre division of the Dihli troops] and his own immediate followers, issued from the city of Dihli, and, in front of the plain of Jud, overthrew them, and put most of the leaders [of the party] to the sword.
192.2.4
Subsequently to this, Sultan Taj-ud-Din, Yal-duz, from Lohor and Ghaznin entered into a compact with him, and sent him a canopy of state and a Dur-bash. Between Sultan Shams-ud-Din and Malik [Sultan] Nasir-ud-Din, Kaba-jah, contention used continually to arise for the possession of Lohor, Tabarhindah, and Kuhram; and, in the year 614 H., the former inflicted a defeat upon Nasir-ud-Din, Kaba-jah. Upon several other occasions, in different parts of the territories of Hindustan, hostilities arose between him [Shams-ud-Din] and the Amirs and Turks; but, as the favour of the Most High was his aider and defender, He used to award victory to him, and all those who used to revolt against him, or rebel against his authority, used to be reduced. The Divine assistance and protection having, for a considerable time, been extended towards him, Sultan Shams-ud-Din brought under his jurisdiction all the different parts of the kingdom, and the dependencies of the capital, Dihli, together with Buda’un, Awadh, Banaras, and the Siwalikh.
192.2.5
Sultan Taj-ud-Din, Yal-duz, being obliged to evacuate [his territory] before the Khwarazmi army, retired towards Lohor; and between him and Sultan Shams-ud-Din, hostilities arose about the boundaries [of their dominions], and an engagement took place between their respective armies at Tara’in, in the year 612 H., and Sultan Shams-ud-Din was victorious. Sultan Taj-ud-Din, Yal-duz, was taken prisoner, and, in accordance with his [Shams-ud-Din’s] command, they brought Yal-duz to Dihli, and sent him [fromthence] to Buda’un, and there he was buried. Subsequently, in the year 614 H., Shams-ud-Din fought an engagement with Malik [Sultan] Nasir-ud-Din, Kabajah, and the latter was overthrown; and, when the calamities, consequent upon the appearance of Chingiz Khan, the Mughal fell upon Khurasan, in the year 618 H. Sultan Jalal-ud-Din, Khwarazm Shah, defeated by the army of infidels, retired in the direction of Hindustan. The sedition of the Khwarazm Shahis reached the limits of [the province of] Lohor; and Sultan Shams-ud-Din marched from Dihli towards Lohor with the forces of Hindustan, and Sultan Jalal-ud-Din, Khwarazm Shah, having turned aside from the host of Hindustan, marched away towards Sind and Siwastan.
192.2.6
After these events, in the year 622 H., Sultan Shams-ud-Din marched an army towards the territory of Lakhanawati, and [Sultan] Ghiyas-ud-Din, ’Iwaz, Khalji placed the neck of service within the yoke of subjection, and presented thirty elephants and eighty laks of treasure, and read the Khutbah, and stamped the coin, in the sacred name of the august Sultan, Shams-ud-Din. In the year 623 H., the Sultan determined to take the fort of Rantabhur, which, for its exceeding strength, solidity, and impregnability, is famous and notorious throughout all Hindustan. They have narrated in the Chronicles of the people of Hind after this manner, that seventy kings and more had appeared [at various times] at the foot of its walls, and not one of them had been able to reduce it. After some time, however, in the year 623 H., it was taken by the hands of the Sultan’s servants through the favour of the Creator. A year subsequent to this, in 624 H., he marched against the fort of Mandawar within the limits of the Siwalikh [territory], and its capture, likewise, the Almighty God facilitated for him, and he came back, and much booty fell into the hands of the servants of his dynasty.
192.2.7
Subsequently, in 625 H., the august Sultan Shams-ud-Din, I-yal-timish, came with an army from the capital city, Dihli, into the territories of Uchchah and Multan; and the writer of these words, the Maulana Minhaj-i-Saraj, in the month of Rajab, in the year 624 had reached the territories of Sind, Uchchah, and Multan, from the side of Ghur and Khurasan. On the 1st of Rabi'-ul-Awwal, 625 H., the august Sultan, Shams-ud-Din, I-yal-timish, reached the foot of the walls of the fort of Uchchah. Malik [Sultan] Nasir-ud-Din, Kaba-jah, had his camp pitched before the gate of the kasbah [town] of Ahrawat and the whole of his fleet and boats, on board of which the baggage and followers of his army were embarked, were moored in the river in front of the camp, when, on a Friday, after [noon-day] prayers, swift messengers arrived from the direction of Multan and gave information that Malik Nasir-ud-Din, Ai-yitim the feudatory of Lohor, had appeared before the walls of Multan.
192.2.8
The august Sultan, Shams-ud-Din, having set out by way of Tabarhindah towards Uchchah, the capital of Malik [Sultan] Nasir-ud-Din, Kaba-jah, he fled to his fleet, and, taking along with him all his forces, retired towards Bhakar, with orders to his Wazir, the 'Ain-ul-Mulk, Husain-i-Asha'ri, to convey the treasure contained within the fort of Uchchah towards the fort of Bhakar. Sultan Shams-ud-Din pushed forward the van of his forces to the foot of the walls of Uchchah, under the [two] great Maliks at the head of those troops, one [of whom] was Malik 'Izz-ud-Din, Muhammad-i-Salari, who was the Amir-i-Hajib [Lord Chamberlain] of the Court, and the other, Malik Taj-ud-Din, Sanjar-i-Gazlak Khan, Sultani Shamsi, who was the Malik of Tabarhindah. Four days after this, the Sultan himself, with the rest of the army, the elephants, baggage, and followers, arrived before the walls of Uchchah, and the camp was pitched. The Wazir of his kingdom, the Nizam-ul-Mulk, Muhammad, Junaidi, and other Maliks, were then despatched towards the fort of Bhakar in pursuit of Malik [Sultan] Nasir-ud-Din, Kaba-jah.
192.2.9
For a period of three months, hostilities went on at the foot of the fortress of Uchchah; and, on Tuesday, the 28th of the sacred month, Jamadi-ul-Awwal, in the year 625 H., that fort surrendered on terms of capitulation. Malik [Sultan] Nasir-ud-Din, Kaba-jah, in that same month, of Jamadi-ul-Awwal, in the same year, threw himself from the walls of the fortress of Bhakar into the Panj-ab, and drowned himself. Some time previous to this, he had despatched his son, Malik ’Ala-ud-Din, Bahram Shah, to the presence of Sultan Shams-ud-Din, I-yal-timish ; and, subsequently to that, the treasures and the remainder of the followers of Malik [Sultan] Nasir-ud-Din, Kaba-jah, reached the presence of the Court, the Asylum of the World. That country [Sind], as far as the shore of the ocean, was acquired, and Malik Sinan-ud-Din, Chati-sar [or Jati-sar], who was Wali [ruler] of Diwal, presented himself at the Shamsi Court; and, when the blessed mind of that monarch became disengaged through the successes [gained] in that territory, he turned his face towards the sublime seat of government, the city of Dihli.
192.3.1
The author of this book, and writer of these pages, gained the presence of the sublime Court of that monarch of the orthodox, on the first day that the royal camp was pitched before the walls of the fort of Uchchah; and, having found favour in his sacred sight, when the royal camp moved back again from before the walls of Uchchah, the author was directed to deliver discourses within the enclosure of the sublime tents; and, in association with the victorious retinue of that beneficent sovereign, he arrived at the city of Dihli in the month of Ramazan, 625 H. At this time, emissaries from the Khalifah's Court, bearing honours rich and ample, had reached the limits of Nag-awr; and, on Monday, the 22nd of the month of Rabi'-ul-Awwal, 626 H., they reached the Capital. The city was decorated [for the occasion] and this sovereign, and the Maliks, his sons—may they rest in peace!—and other Maliks, his suite, and Slaves likewise, were honoured through this act of policy [on the part] of the Khalifah's Court.
192.3.2
After so much festivity and rejoicing, in the month of Jamadi-ul-Awwal, of the before-mentioned year [626 H.] information arrived of the decease of the august Malik, Nasir-ud-Din, Mahmud Shah, [the eldest son of Sultan Shams-ud-Din] ; and Balka Malik-i-Husam-ud-Din, 'Iwaz, the Khalj, rebelled in the territory of Lakhanawati. Sultan Shams-ud-Din led the contingents of Hindustan into that country ; and, in the year 628 H., that rebel was secured. The Sultan conferred the throne of Lakhanawati upon Malik ’Ala-ud-Din, Jani, — on whom be peace! — and, in the month of Rajab of the same year, he returned again to the illustrious capital, Dihli. In the year 629 H., the Sultan came to the determination of undertaking the reduction of the fort of Gwaliyur; and, when the pavilion of his dominion was set up at the foot of that stronghold, Mangal Diw the accursed, the son of the accursed Mai Diw, commenced hostilities. The Sultan continued before that fortress for a period of eleven months; and the writer of these words, in the month of Sha’ban of the same year, set out from Dihli, and turned his face towards the threshold of sovereignty, and attained that felicity. The author, at certain stated periods, was commanded to deliver discourses at the private pavilion. Three times in each week discourses were fixed; and, when the month of Ramazan came round, a discourse used to be delivered daily.
192.3.3
During the whole ten days of Zi-Hijjah, and ten days of Muharram, discourses were delivered daily; but, during the other months, those same three stated periods were observed weekly, so that ninety-five times congregations were convened at the entrance of the sublime pavilion. On both days of the respective festivals, Fitr and Uzha, in three different places, the prayers, prescribed for the festivals, were said, in which number of places, on the greater festival of Uzha, this servant of the state, who is Minhaj-i-Saraj, was commanded to read the Khutbah for the Uzha festival, and the appointed prayers, at a spot opposite the northern face of the fortress of Gwaliyur, on which side the town is; and he was honoured with the presentation of a valuable dress of honour.
192.3.4
The fortress was kept under investment, until Tuesday, the 26th of the month Safar, 630 H., when the stronghold of Gwaliyur was acquired. During the night, the accursed Mangal Diw evacuated the fort and fled; and about seven hundred Gabrs were directed to be brought to public execution before the entrance of the sublime pavilion. After that, Amirs and eminent men were appointed [to different offices]. To the Majd-ul-Umra, Ziya-ud-Din, Junaidi, the Sultan gave the office of Amir-i-Dad, the Sipah-Salar [Commander of Troops], Rashid-ud-Din, ’Ali, was directed to assume the office of Seneschal, and the Maulana, the writer of this book, Minhaj-i-Saraj, was nominated to the offices of Kazi, Khatib, and Imam, and appointed to preside over all matters of the law, and a rich dress of honour, and an ample present, were conferred upon him. May the Most High God become the sustainer of the purified soul and fragrant body of that victorious, beneficent, and just sovereign, and patron of the enlightened! On the 2nd of the month, Rabi’-ul-Akhir, of this same year, the Sultan withdrew from before the fortress of Gwaliyur, and placed the camp at about the distance of a league from the foot of the walls in the direction of Dihli, the capital; and, at that halting ground, the imperial naubat five times daily was assumed.
192.3.5
After he returned to the capital, in the year 632 H., the Sultan led the hosts of Islam towards Malwah, and took the fortress and town [or city] of Bhilsan, and demolished the idol-temple which took three hundred years in building, and which, in altitude, was about one hundred ells. From thence he advanced to Ujjain-Nagari, and destroyed the idol-temple of Maha-kal Diw. The effigy of Bikramajit who was sovereign of Ujjain-Nagari, and from whose reign to the present time one thousand, three hundred, and sixteen years have elapsed, and from whose reign they date the Hindu-i era, together with other effigies besides his, which were formed of molten brass, together with the stone [idol] of Maha-kal, were carried away to Dihli, the capital. In the year 633 H., the Sultan led the forces of Hindustan towards Banian [or Banyan], and, during that march, weakness subdued his blessed person ; and, when, through bodily affliction, he came back from thence, on Wednesday, the first of the month, Sha’ban, early in the forenoon, the time chosen by the Astrologers, seated in a covered litter he entered the capital of his kingdom, the illustrious city of Dihli. After nineteen days, his illness having increased, on Monday, the 20th of Sha'ban, in the year 633 H., he was removed from the abode of mortality to the everlasting mansion. His reign extended to a period of twenty-six years. God enlighten his understanding !